1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a safety device for a remotely-activated power supplying system of a manual transmission vehicle, more particularly to a safety device including a starting safety unit and an ignition key detector.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a schematic circuit block diagram of a vehicle that incorporates a conventional remotely activated power supplying system. The vehicle includes a key-operated power supplying system 17 capable of being activated through an ignition key 18, an ignition system 14 connected electrically to the key-operated power supplying system 17, a handbrake (not shown), and a gear shift lever (not shown). The remotely-activated power supplying system includes a power supplying device 11 connected to the ignition system 14, a main controller 13 connected to the power supplying device 11, a wireless receiver 12 connected to the main controller 13, a wireless transmitter 2 provided with a start key 21 that is operable so as to enable the wireless transmitter 2 to transmit a start signal to be received by the main controller 13 through the wireless receiver 12, and a starting safety unit 15 connected to the main controller 13 for detecting the presence of a safety condition.
The purpose of the remotely-activated power supplying system is to remotely start the vehicle at a distance before the driver enters the vehicle so as to save warm-up waiting time before driving the vehicle. In view of safety concerns, such as preventing accidents caused by inappropriate triggering of the remote transmitter 2, the starting safety unit 15 is provided to enable the main controller 13 to activate the power supplying device 11 to permit the supply of electric power to the ignition system 14 only when the start signal transmitted by the remote controller 2 and a safety signal generated by the starting safety unit 15 are received by the main controller 13.
In the case of an automatic transmission vehicle, the starting safety unit 15 includes a lever detector for detecting the position of the gear shift lever. The starting safety unit 15 generates the safety signal only when the gear shift lever is disposed at a neutral gear (e.g., N gear or P gear) position. Accordingly, if the vehicle was incorrectly parked, such as with the gear shift lever disposed at a drive gear (D gear) or a reverse gear (R gear) position, the starting safety unit 15 will not generate the safety signal, and remote activation of the power supplying device 11 will not be possible.
In the case of a manual transmission vehicle, three different implementations of the starting safety unit 15 are currently available:
1. The starting safety unit includes a handbrake detector for detecting the position of the handbrake. Particularly, when the handbrake is lifted to a parking position, the handbrake detector will activate a handbrake indicator on the instrument panel of the vehicle. At the same time, the safety signal will be generated to enable remote activation of the power supplying device 11 by the main controller 13. However, it is possible that the handbrake may be erroneously judged by the handbrake detector to be at the parking position even though it is only partly lifted. This problem is further aggravated by wearing of the brake disc.
2. The starting safety unit includes a lever detector for detecting the position of the gear shift lever. Particularly, when the gear shift lever is disposed at the neutral gear position, the safety signal will be generated to enable remote activation of the power supplying device 11 by the main controller 13. However, the lever detector is not a standard accessory of a manual transmission vehicle. Aside from the problem of difficulty in installation, errors can occur when the lever detector is improperly installed.
3. Aside from the aforesaid handbrake detector or lever detector, a xe2x80x9cmanual operation procedurexe2x80x9d is enforced to ensure that remote starting of the vehicle is possible only when the latter is properly parked. Referring to FIG. 2, the conventional xe2x80x9cmanual operation procedurexe2x80x9d is shown to include the following five steps:
a. The gear shift lever is disposed at the neutral gear position (step 31);
b. The handbrake is lifted to the parking position (step 32);
c. A start switch 16 (see FIG. 1) or the start key 21 on the wireless transmitter 2 is operated to activate the power supplying system 17 or the power supplying device 11 so as to permit idle running of the vehicle engine for a preset time period (such as several minutes) (step 33);
d. The ignition key 18 is uprooted from the power supplying system 17, and the engine continues to run idly due to operation of the start switch 16 or the start key 21 in step 33 (step 34); and
e. The driver leaves the vehicle, and the engine stops running shortly after the vehicle doors are closed (step 35).
Only when the foregoing xe2x80x9cmanual operation procedurexe2x80x9d is properly conducted will remote starting of the vehicle be possible. Hence, after conducting the xe2x80x9cmanual operation procedure,xe2x80x9d when the driver operates the wireless transmitter 2 in order to warm up the vehicle, the start signal will be received by the main controller 13 through the wireless receiver 12. Thereafter, only when the main controller 13 receives the safety signal from the starting safety unit 15 will the main controller 13 be able to activate the power supplying device 11 for providing electric power to the ignition system 14 to start the vehicle.
From the foregoing description, it is evident that the third implementation of the starting safety unit 15 is the safest and most reliable for application to manual transmission vehicles. However, the xe2x80x9cmanual operation procedurexe2x80x9d involved therein is rather inconvenient when put into actual practice. Particularly, each time the driver intends to leave the vehicle, the step of operating the start switch 16 or the start key 21 on the wireless transmitter 2, i.e., step 33, has to be executed, which is rather troublesome when the driver has to get in and out of the vehicle frequently. Moreover, if the driver forgets to perform this action before getting off the vehicle, the remote start function will not work.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a safety device for a remotely-activated power supplying system of a manual transmission vehicle that can overcome the aforesaid drawbacks associated with the prior art.
According to the present invention, there is provided a safety device for a remotely-activated power supplying system of a manual transmission vehicle. The manual transmission vehicle includes a key-operated power supplying system capable of being activated through an ignition key, an ignition system connected electrically to the key-operated power supplying system, a handbrake, and a gear shift lever. The remotely-activated power supplying system includes a power supplying device to be connected to the ignition system, a main controller connected to the power supplying device, a wireless receiver connected to the main controller, and a wireless transmitter operable so as to transmit a start signal to be received by the main controller through the wireless receiver. The safety device comprises:
a starting safety unit adapted to be connected to the main controller for detecting presence of a safety condition, the starting safety unit including at least one of a handbrake detector adapted to detect position of the handbrake, and a lever detector adapted to detect position of the gear shift lever, the safety condition being at least one of the handbrake being disposed at a parking position and the gearshift lever being disposed at a neutral gear position; and
an ignition key detector adapted to be connected to the main controller and adapted to detect if the ignition key is uprooted from the key-operated power supplying system.
Therefore, the main controller can be configured to activate the power supplying device to permit supply of electric power to the ignition system for a preset time period when the start signal is transmitted by the wireless transmitter and is received by the main controller through the wireless receiver, when the safety condition is detected by the starting safety unit, and when the ignition key detector detects that the ignition key is uprooted from the key-operated power supplying system.